Archive for July, 2008

Finishing up the Semester at the Writing Center
Finalizing a PowerPoint presentation for said Writing Center
Writing a book review for The Ohioana Quarterly
Writing the back cover blurbs for three cartoons for My Very Own Adventure
Doing some voice-acting (!) for one of the cartoons
Preparing a 20 minute presentaion for the North East Ohio Writing Center Conference

Of course, I procrastinate like a muthafucka, so this stuff will probably all get done at the last minute, and, as usual, it will be AWESOME.

Ok, so every night or so this week, I’ve been trying to watch a different zombie film. I’m doing research for a comic idea I have, so I’m immersing myself in all things undead and shambling. I figured, “Hey! Why not review the movies you watched!” Great idea, jay!

So, that brings us to the first instalment (actually, 2nd, if you count last week’s 28 days later), I Am Legend.

I’m not going to get to spoilery here (though that’s not to say that nothing will be spoiled, so be warned!!!), so don’t worry. I’m mainly reviewing these films based on “realism,” intelligence of the characters, zombie effects, and what not. This isn’t science…I don’t have a formal code for this.

Anyway…I Am Legend. It’s better than I thought. Will Smith usually plays this action roles as the likable, funny good guy, but not in this one. His sense of humor works as a way to keep his sanity in a world where he may very well be The Last Man On Earth. The stupid decisions he does make (Shooting up the street, wrecking his car) all make sense as he’s losing his mind, as well as his will to live. 8 out of 10 survivor points.

The realism aspect is kind of inconsistant. I mean, the world looks like it might if an event had killed everyone. Cars litter the streets, and wild animals, as well as plants, have reclaimed parts of the city. So…where does Dr. Neville get electricity to power his TV and VCR? How is he cooking? Surely, with no one manning the public power stations, there would be no power? A generator? Ok, but where’s he getting fuel? 4 out of 10 apocalypse points.

I Hated the Zombie effects. They were done with CGI, making them look like they were made of water. Zombies should be very…well, fleshy. I would rather the rest of the movie be CGI, and the only human actors be zombies. Still, they were creeopy, and I can believe that they could do some serious damage. Fast zombies are scary. 4 out of 10 points of decomposition.

Overall, I liked this one. I probably won’t buy it or anything, unless I find a cheep copy, used. Still it’s worth a rent.